


Bumblebee

by EmpressCactuar



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Annie is Zofia's mother, Bertholdt is Udo's brother, Coma, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Hospitals, I Am Not Open To Criticism, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Marcel is Pokkupikku baby, Reiner is Zofia's father, Single Parents, Slow Burn, no reiani tho, this is my self-indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26665186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressCactuar/pseuds/EmpressCactuar
Summary: When his father falls gravely ill, Bertholdt moves to help care for his much-younger brother Udo. And he can't help but notice the handsome man down the street with the sweetest little girl he's ever seen.(Single dad!Reiner au for my soul)
Relationships: Porco Galliard/Pieck, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wasn't going to post this but there seemed to be some interest on my twitter, so here it is. This is just my own personal fic I've been wanting to write in between me working on requests and fic for other people... ^^; 
> 
> I accept no criticism because this is for me, y'all can read it if you want tho! I just wanted single dad!Reiner and Bertl falling in love so bad.

Moving was never pleasant. Especially on such short notice. But his father had fallen gravely ill, and Bertholdt had to leave the city to come back and take care of him. It wasn’t looking good. And he had to take care of his little brother. If something were to happen to their father, Bertholdt couldn’t bear the thought of his baby brother being uprooted and moved somewhere new after such trauma. He hadn’t really planted roots after college, so the move wasn’t too hard on him all things considered. 

A change-of-life baby, Udo had been. While Bertholdt was twenty-four, Udo was only five. The only thing Bertholdt hated about Udo’s birth was he was in college and didn’t get as much time with his baby brother as he would’ve liked. Now that he was moving back in with their father, he’d get plenty of time to bond with Udo. 

Thankfully he didn’t need to bring home too much. He’d sold a lot of his furniture and things he didn’t need, because everything he’d need was at his father’s house. Coffee maker, furniture, TV, kitchen appliances… he should be set. And his dad’s new home had a bathtub! Bertholdt made sure to load up on bath bombs before heading back home. 

Maybe having an excited five-year old around would limit the number of relaxing soaks he got, but surely he’d be able to get a few in. 

Bertholdt smiled whenever he drove his car up to the familiar house and parked in the driveway. He’d been able to hype himself up to returning to the town his father moved to after he went to college. 

For Udo, this was his childhood home. Again, Bertholdt couldn’t bear the thought of him being plucked away from it. Their mother died in childbirth, so their father and this home were all Udo had. 

No sooner than Bertholdt had parked and gotten out of his car, the front door to the home opened and a familiar young boy barreled towards him “Beeerrrthollllldt!” Bertholdt smiled and ruffled his brother’s hair when Udo gave him a tight hug, then he made sure to hug him back. Bertholdt grunted when he picked his brother up and spun him around playfully. 

“Udo! How’s my favorite baby brother?” Bertholdt asked. Udo grabbed Bertholdt’s hand and started to drag him towards the door, not giving him any time to get anything from the car. Oh well. He could get it later. 

“I wanna show you my pokemon toys! I got new ones since the last time you visited!” Udo stopped in his tracks and turned excitedly, looking up with starry-eyes at his brother. “But you’re not visiting anymore because you’re living here! Right?” 

Bertholdt laughed and nodded, enjoying the sight of Udo’s cheeks flushing in excitement. He clung to Bertholdt again and nuzzled at his leg. 

“He’s home! We can play and eat together and go play at the park and have lots and lots of fun!” Udo was bouncing on his tip-toes happily. Bertholdt kept walking towards the living room where his father was most likely at. His mobility had been limited as of late, at least from what he’d said while videochatting and during their phone calls. 

“Bertholdt, it’s great to see you.” His father said whenever he made his way into the living room. Udo was still clinging to Bertholdt, but they were able to get a family hug instead. His dad looked up at him fondly; when Bertholdt was fifteen, he finally grew taller than his father and even though it had been nine years it was still weird to him. “How’s my boy doing?” 

“I’m good. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about living in an entirely new town, if you want me to be honest.” Bertholdt laughed nervously and rubbed his arm, him looking down at the carpeted floor in the meantime. His father chuckled, and Bertholdt noticed how raspy his laugh had gotten. His father always had the best belly laughs, so it was jarring. 

“I understand. But we have a nice little neighborhood here. The schools are very good, so Udo is in good hands. And you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job. You’ll be taken care of here, too. I just want my boys comfortable.” Udo grinned whenever their father ruffled the top of his head. 

Getting everything out of his car and unpacking took some time. Bertholdt plopped down on his bed and wanted to relax… but Udo quickly made his way to the bed and started excitedly asking if they could go outside and play. 

Maybe it would be a while before he could enjoy those bath bombs after all… 

  


Unfortunately, Bertholdt hadn’t been in the neighborhood long at all whenever his father passed away. And he never felt more lonely, because he hadn’t made very many friends. Yes, there was his best work friend Pieck, but that was mostly it. He took care of Udo when he came home now, and he had to adjust his work schedule accordingly. 

Taking on a parental role to his little brother also changed the dynamic of their relationship, because now he had to be the disciplinarian instead of his friend. And that was hard. Especially when Udo just wanted to play and Bertholdt had to be the responsible one. 

But time heals all wounds, and a few months later some sense of normalcy returned. Bertholdt signed Udo up for a summer camp to get him active and to help him make new friends. He would sometimes come home and talk about a little girl named Gabi, sometimes he would even blush. 

Bertholdt couldn’t help but smile and tease his little brother about his first little crush. 

The house was quiet whenever Udo spent the night during the week at camp. Bertholdt found it too quiet one afternoon that he was off from work and made a point to walk around the neighborhood and explore it. It was long overdue, anyways. 

Maybe he was too easily distracted, because he wasn’t even a block away from his home when he wasn’t watching where he was going and accidentally bumped into a young, blonde girl, knocking her over. Unfortunately, she fell and scraped her knee on the sidewalk and started wailing. 

“Oh! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please don’t cry!” Bertholdt said in a slight panic, him squatting onto the ground and checking her leg. The scrape was dirty and bleeding, and Bertholdt swore when he thought about the fact that his first-aid kit was at home. The girl cried loudly, and Bertholdt started to worry. 

“Daddy! Daddyyyy! It hurrrrts!” The little girl cried. Very quickly, a blonde man ran out from the backyard of the house they were in front of and flew to the young girl. He immediately started to shush the girl while she cried, to no avail. “Daddy!” The girl started hiccupping while she cried. 

“Zofia! What happened?” The man checked her leg. It was bleeding… but it was still just a scraped leg. He seemed to calm down whenever he saw that it wasn’t anything serious. The girl, apparently named Zofia, clung to her father and sobbed. 

“I’m sorry, I bumped into her and she fell and scraped her knee…” The man nodded at Bertholdt’s words, but didn’t seem upset. He gave Bertholdt an apologetic look while Zofia cried into his shoulder. 

“It’s okay. Actually, I’m sorry. I tell her not to run on the sidewalk because she’ll run into someone.” The man put his hand on the back of his daughter’s head and kissed her cheek. “Come on, bumblebee. Let’s dry those tears, hmm? Daddy will get you cleaned up.” 

“I’m so sorry. I’ve just moved here recently and I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot. Is there anything I can do for you?” Bertholdt asked apologetically. The man was still trying to ease his daughter’s crying, but he gave Bertholdt a smile and nodded his head towards his front door. Bertholdt nodded and followed the man inside. 

“Wait here for just a quick sec, okay?” The man said once they reached the kitchen. He disappeared for a moment and came back without his daughter. “Thank you. I wouldn’t normally ask for help, but I know what’s about to happen. As soon as the alcohol pad is on her leg she’s going to start screaming. Can you get in my freezer there and get the ice cream, then use the scoop in that drawer to make her a bowl?” 

“Huh? Ice cream? Okay, if that’s what you want…” The man laughed and gave Bertholdt a smile, then started to turn away. 

“I’d make my daughter the ice cream myself, but she’s going to start screaming and it would be a help if it was already made when I brought her in here to comfort her.” Bertholdt nodded and got the ice cream, then started to make a bowl for the girl. 

Sure enough, Bertholdt heard a loud screech come from the bathroom, followed by crying. Bertholdt grinned to himself in spite of the situation; adults could handle the pain of an alcohol pad, but every young child reacted the same to the dreaded alcohol pad. 

Once Bertholdt finished scooping the vanilla ice cream, he took a quick glance in the fridge and found chocolate syrup. He put the syrup on the ice cream and looked for a cherry to put on top, but found none. Oh well. He put back the syrup and looked down at the bowl. The little girl should stop crying whenever she gets her treat. 

The man returned after a minute with a hiccupping girl. Her knee was bandaged and cleaned. He put his daughter down into the chair with a booster seat and moved the bowl of ice cream in front of her. “Look, Zofia! The nice man made you ice cream! What do we say?” The girl let out a tiny whine and whimpered while she took her first bite of the treat. “Zofia.” 

“T-Thank you, mister…” Her voice was quiet, and her eyes were still wet though she seemed to calm down while she ate. Her father cleared his throat and gave his daughter a look like he expected more. “A-and I’m sorry I ran into you… I promise I’ll watch where I’m going next time…” 

“Good girl. The nice man isn’t mad at you, okay bumblebee? It’s okay. You just need to be more careful.” He gently stroked Zofia’s hair and gave her a warm smile. He glanced back up at Bertholdt and gave him a smile. “You said you moved here recently? My name’s Reiner, I-” 

“His name is Daddy!” Zofia piped up, then she went back to eating her ice cream. Reiner chuckled and shook his head, then looked at Bertholdt again. Zofia, all things considered, seemed to be a very clean eater and wasn’t making a mess at all. 

“Her name for me is Daddy. Everyone else calls me Reiner. I wish I could’ve met you in a calmer way. Don’t worry, you didn’t hurt my girl.” Reiner leaned down and kissed the top of her head, earning a warm smile from his daughter. 

“I’m glad. She’s a cutie. My name is Bertholdt.” Bertholdt looked at the girl while she ate. “How old is your daughter? She doesn’t look much younger than my brother.” 

“Hey, Zofia? How old are you, bumblebee?” Zofia looked at Bertholdt and held up four fingers. Reiner let out a tiny laugh. “She’s going to be four and a half soon, she’s been excited about that. How old is your brother?” 

“He’s six. He turned six a couple of months ago. His name is Udo, and he looks like me. I don’t know if you know him or not.” Reiner looked like he was in thought for a moment, then had an ah-ha moment. 

“Oh! He’s the little boy a couple of houses down the street? Black hair, wears glasses?” Reiner started looking closely at Bertholdt, then flashed a toothy grin that Bertholdt couldn’t help but blush at. “I see it! I didn’t know he had an older brother. Especially one so much older than him.” 

“Yeah… my parents thought my mom was going through menopause. Then sure enough, I had a brand-new baby brother.” Bertholdt laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Dad got sick, I moved back because I knew he didn’t have much time left. Now that he’s gone, I’m going to be raising my brother.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Losing a parent must be hard.” Reiner was quiet for a moment, then glanced over at Zofia. “I don’t know what I would do without my mother. She’s the only help I get with my little one.” Reiner sighed, then went back to his happy self. “Say, your brother wouldn’t happen to be at camp right now, would he? I have a little cousin named Gabi, and she was talking about having a friend named Udo.” 

“He is! He was talking about a girl named Gabi at camp. The way he talks, I think he might have a little crush on her…” Reiner laughed and took Zofia’s bowl when she finished her ice cream. He gave her another kiss on the top of her head whenever she hopped down and went to hug his leg. 

“I love you, daddy.” Reiner looked so enamored that Bertholdt couldn’t help but smile. 

“I love you too, sweetie. Hey, go play with your toys and then we can read together for storytime later, okay?” Zofia nodded and ran off down the hallway. Reiner crossed his arms and laughed. “I would do anything for her.” 

“I understand. I would do anything for my little brother. Hey, Reiner… I’m really sorry your daughter got hurt. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking, and she ran into me.” Reiner waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. 

“It’s okay. Zofia has so much energy and you aren’t the first person she’s run into.” Reiner was quiet for a moment, then sighed and looked at the ground. “I’ll be honest. A couple of neighbors have said before that I should be more responsible and keep her from running around like she does. She’s gotten a lot better, she has! But at the same time, she’s four. You know? Of course she’s going to be buzzing around with all that energy.” 

“Oh, I know. Udo is the same way. He’s always running circles around me, he’s making me feel old and I’m only twenty-four…” Bertholdt ran his hand through his hair. “Your daughter seems well-mannered to me, she’s polite and not a messy eater at all.” 

Reiner laughed and invited Bertholdt into his living room. Bertholdt sat down, then fidgeted awkwardly when Reiner left. He came back after a moment with two cans of soda and offered one to him. “Hope you don’t mind, but I only drink diet most of the time. Sometimes Zofia wants some and I don’t want her taking in too much sugar. The ice cream was to calm her down.” 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind diet. So if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living, Reiner? Do you work a job where you get weekdays off?” Reiner shook his head and closed his eyes while he sipped on his soda. 

“I’m an elementary school teacher, I teach second graders. If you’re staying here, I’ll teach your brother in about two years. Since it’s summer vacation, I’m not working. I’m just staying home with my girl. She isn't old enough for camp or anything like that. She needs to at least finish kindergarten, you know.” 

"Yes, I plan on staying here for the foreseeable future. Since our father is gone, I don't want to take away the only home he's ever known." Bertholdt fidgets with his fingers and looks down, but Reiner only hums at his words. 

"That's very kind of you, Bertholdt. You know, this is a small town and I've never met you. Coming to a completely new town to raise your little brother... it must've been hard to uproot yourself. I hope you aren't frustrated with your brother." Bertholdt immediately shook his head. Him? Frustrated with Udo because their father was ill? 

"Oh, no. I could never be mad at Udo. He didn't do anything. He didn't have a mother, our mother died in childbirth and our father was his only parent. I can't take away the last little bit of stability that he has." Reiner is sipping is soda when Bertholdt finishes, but he nods along with him. 

"I'm glad to hear that. I don't think you would be mean-spirited or hate your brother. But..." Reiner pauses and starts to chew his lower lip, as though he was gathering his thoughts. "You know. I teach kids. I've met dozens of children and their families. Sometimes... parents and family can be cruel. Abusive, even. For things beyond their control." 

"...I can only imagine. It must be hard." Reiner nods, then glances to the side. There's a picture of him holding a blonde infant. He doesn't look much different at all. Reiner is young; he can tell from the pictures around his home. In a couple of the pictures, there is a blonde woman holding the baby. But no recent photos of her. He's curious, but Bertholdt has just met Reiner; it wouldn't be appropriate to pry into his social life too much. "Are you excited for your girl to be going to school soon?" 

Reiner laughed and shook his head, then put his empty soda can on the coffee table. He turns his head and looks towards Zofia's bedroom. "I guess you could say that. It'll make my life a whole lot easier, because she can come to my classroom and sit with me while I get everything ready to come home. Right now I have to leave her with my mother whenever I go to work. She says it's fine, but I don't want to burden my mom with my daughter too much." 

Before Bertholdt can respond, they hear footsteps coming quickly down the hallway and soon enough Zofia is in the living room, then on Reiner's lap. "Daddy! I want to go out and play!" Zofia leaned back into her father's chest and looked up at him. "Let's play, daddy!" 

Bertholdt can only laugh to himself when Zofia starts getting handsy, her putting her hands on her father's cheeks. She squished Reiner's cheeks together, but he only laughed when she did so. Which made her laugh with him. "I'm going to head on out then. I can see your girl wants to go play. I'll see you around, Reiner. And you too, Zofia." 

"Bye Mr. Nice Man!" Zofia chirped excitedly, but Reiner cocked a brow at his daughter. 

"Now, bumblebee, don't say that. Tell him his name instead." Zofia looked confused for a moment, then looked at her father. Reiner shook his head and leaned down, then whispered something in her ear. 

"Oh! Bye, Mr. Bertholdt!" Zofia started waving while Reiner held his daughter, though when he looked closely Bertholdt could tell she was crushing him and he couldn't breathe. Reiner stood and held Zofia against his side, then took a deep breath. 

"If you just recently moved in, I'll be seeing you around. Maybe we can have my daughter and your brother play together sometime." Bertholdt smiled and agreed, then turned to leave. He closed the door to Reiner's house behind him and heard Zofia start loudly chattering about all of the things she wanted to do. 

While he was walking home, Bertholdt couldn't help but smile. Maybe this new town was the change of pace he needed. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more about Reiner and his personal life. I'm bad about saying things are slow burn and then not doing it right so I keep trying to actually make it slow ^^;

Having a friend in the neighborhood was nice, and Bertholdt found himself lucky to have found a couple of friends who had children themselves. It made it much easier to coordinate spending time together with them, because he was able to take Udo with him and have little playmates for his brother. 

His work friend, Pieck, turned out to be an old friend of his neighbor Reiner’s, and the two of them were very close. Apparently Reiner and Pieck’s husband Porco used to get into all sorts of trouble when they were younger, but they both calmed down once their kids were born. Pieck made a comment that it was a relief that Porco had calmed down when their son Marcel was born, because Porco was a wild child and a bad boy to say the least. 

But despite his closeness to Pieck and her family, Bertholdt still preferred talking to his new neighbor Reiner. He was kind, funny, and his daughter was the sweetest little girl Bertholdt had ever met. Reiner wasn’t working for the time being, at least not until the school year started again. Udo was going to be starting first grade, so after this school year and the next summer vacation apparently Reiner could be his teacher. 

Bertholdt had a lot of trouble with Udo initially, but as time went on his brother adjusted to their father’s death and started looking up to Bertholdt in a more meaningful way. It was… nice. 

“What’s for dinner tonight, Bertholdt?” Udo got into his chair and scooted it into the table while Bertholdt boiled the noodles. He opened up his book – a chapter book – as he had bragged to his brother, and started to read it. Bertholdt glanced behind him at the table and smiled at his brother, then stirred his pot. 

“Macaroni and cheese, and some salad.” Bertholdt quite enjoyed cooking, and he knew he needed to expand Udo’s palate while he was still young. But right now, he just wanted to boil a pot of macaroni and put in cheese sauce. Work was stressful today, and Udo wouldn’t care. "You can have one juice box but besides that, just water. Okay? So don't drink all of your juice at the start of your dinner." 

"Okay." Udo was engrossed in his book. Bertholdt didn't mind; his brother was a smart young boy, and he was more than happy his brother liked reading and didn't need to be forced into it. He was definitely beyond lots of others his age as far as reading comprehension went, and for that Bertholdt was glad. "I like my Magic Treehouse books! They're my favorite!" 

Bertholdt turned around and looked closely at the book Udo was reading, then felt a special feeling of affection bubbling within him. Night of the Ninjas? "I absolutely loved those books when I was your age. I'm glad to see you like them too." 

"You read Magic Tree House books when you were a kid?? Cool! Which one's your favorite?" Udo closed his book and set it down, then got up and stoof next to Bertholdt's leg. Bertholdt walked over to the sink and poured the macaroni into the colander, then put it back into the pot. "I like Mummies in the Morning." Bertholdt chuckled while he put the cheese sauce into the pot and stirred. 

"My favorite was Polar Bears Past Bedtime. It's a few books ahead of where you're at. Keep reading and you'll get to it really soon." Udo was eagerly watching his brother cook, and he could feel his mouth watering. Macaroni and cheese! It was like his big brother knew what he'd wanted! 

"I will! I like reading, it's fun!" Bertholdt made their plates and put the salad in a bowl, then put it on the table. He poured himself some tea while he got a juice box for Udo. He poured a cup of water for each of them and set it out. "Yay! Dinner!" 

"Eat up, Udo. Remember, you only get one juice box." Bertholdt said, giving his brother a knowing look. Udo nodded and fidgeted with the box, then sat it to the side and drank his water while he ate the salad. He must be saving it for after his food. "Are you excited to start school in a couple of weeks?" Udo nodded enthusiastically and finished his bite of macaroni. 

"Yeah! Gabi's starting first grade, too! I hope I get to be in the same class as her." Bertholdt noticed the small dusting of pink on his brother's face and ruffled his hair. Bertholdt had only actually seen Gabi once; he and Udo went to the park, and he'd seen Reiner wrangling a girl slightly older than Zofia while Zofia was swinging on the swingset. Gabi kept running around with an energy that surpassed any kid that Bertholdt had met before. 

Reiner had really been trying his best. Bertholdt almost felt bad for him, but it had been funny watching him chasing Gabi while Zofia and Udo played together. He had a difficult time imagining what Udo and Gabi playing together at their summer camp was like, because compared to Gabi his brother was a quiet and mild-mannered kid. Gabi wore out her cousin and by the time Reiner realized Bertholdt was at the park, he'd looked exhausted. Zofia and her cousin went home with Reiner shortly after, and Udo had bid them all a cheerful farewell. 

When it was time to tuck in Udo, Bertholdt couldn't help but stroke his brother's hair and kiss his forehead. His relationship with his little brother was becoming more like that of a parent and less like that of a sibling, but that was okay. It was a natural circumstance of their situation. Udo smiled at Bertholdt, then closed his eyes and curled up into his blankets. Bertholdt turned off the light in Udo's room and went to the living room. He was going to be off work tomorrow, but Udo was going out on a field trip with the camp he'd been in. Bertholdt had signed a permission slip and Udo was going to be going fishing at a lake with his friends and some camp counselors. 

A break from raising his brother sounded nice. In spite of that, Bertholdt could only listen to Udo chatter on about his pokemon game and feel his heart warm with every word.  


It was an odd feeling that Bertholdt never quite thought he would understand. He'd always thought that parents would always leap at the chance to not have their kids around, because it meant plenty of alone time. But sometimes, while Udo was at camp, Bertholdt just missed having his baby brother around. And he wanted Udo there to spend time with. He was bored; he was off work today, but Pieck was busy taking care of a sick Marcel. He'd met Porco before, but Porco was arguably more fussy about their son than Pieck was. Neither of them were going to hang out with him today. 

Bertholdt stretched out and fidgeted. There wasn't anything to watch on TV. He glanced down at his phone. Maybe Reiner was free? As far as he was aware, Zofia wasn't sick or anything like that. There was some sort of stomach bug going around, and that was what Marcel had come down with according to Pieck. Bertholdt grabbed his cell phone and sent Reiner a message on facebook, getting a message back that he was just at home. 

Well, at least there was something to fill his afternoon. Bertholdt locked the door to his home and walked down the sidewalk a few houses, then made his way to Reiner's door. He rang the bell, then heard an excited "I'll get it!" followed by quick, tiny footsteps running to the door. Bertholdt looked down at the tiny girl staring up at him when she opened the door, and he saw Reiner walking up behind her. "Hi!" 

"Hello, Zofia." Bertholdt said, giving her a tiny wave. Reiner came up to Zofia from behind and scooper her up, holding her against his side. Zofia leaned against her dad's shoulder and clung to him. She was still staring at Bertholdt with a smile on her face. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" 

"We're coloring!" Zofia said. "I'm coloring a unicorn! She's pink!" Reiner laughed and pat Zofia's back. "Daddy is coloring a dragon and she's pink too! My unicorn's name is Pinkie Pie!" 

"Like the pony from My Little Pony?" Reiner asked his daughter, getting a nod against him. Reiner stepped aside to let Bertholdt in, then closed the door behind him. Reiner carried Zofia back to the dining room, where crayons and coloring sheets were littered on the table. Zofia ran to the table and climbed back into her seat, then went back to coloring her unicorn. Reiner went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a diet soda, and one for Bertholdt as well. 

"Thank you." Bertholdt sat down at the table and noticed there were a lot of pink crayons in different colors. Zofia's unicorn wasn't neatly colored and that the colors went out of the lines a lot. Reiner's dragon was neatly colored, but still very pink. "Where did you get so many pink crayons from? Don't the crayon boxes only have one of each color in them?" 

"I bought a bulk order of fifty pink crayons online. I have more put up for her. You have lots of different pinks don't you, sweetie?" Zofia nodded and started flipping through the coloring pages on the table. She plucked one out decisively and handed it to Bertholdt. 

"You can color the mermaid! I think she'd be pretty with a pink tail." Zofia handed Bertholdt a pink crayon, then started coloring her unicorn's hooves blue. 

"How about I color her hair pink and her tail blue like your unicorn?" Zofia seemed satisfied with that and handed a powder blue crayon over. After she finished her unicorn, Bertholdt noticed that Zofia seemed to start yawning. Reiner seemed to noticed, and started gathering the crayons together in a way Zofia wouldn't start protesting. 

"Are you getting tired, bumblebee?" Reiner stood and let Zofia latch onto him, then he picked her up carefully. "It's time for a nap, isn't it?" Zofia nodded tiredly against Reiner and let him carry her to her bedroom. Bertholdt fidgeted with his drink while Reiner went to put his daughter down for a little while. Shortly after, Reiner came back and gave Bertholdt a smile. "My girl is going through a phase where everything has to be pink." 

"I can't say I understand... I wasn't around much when Udo was Zofia's age." The pair got up and went to the living room, Reiner sitting in his chair and Bertholdt taking a seat on the sofa. Reiner glanced at the TV and noticed Blue's Clues was on, then reached for the remote and changed it to the news. The volume was low enough that neither paid the TV any mind. 

"You haven't missed much. I love my girl, but sometimes the things she likes are annoying. I've watched Frozen about fifty times. I know the entire plot like the back of my hand because Zofia watches it so much. It used to be cute but every time I hear Elsa's voice I want to pull my hair out." Bertholdt laughed and sipped at his diet soda. 

"I understand that. Udo absolutely loves watching Big Hero 6 and he talks all the time about wanting to be a superhero. He said Gabi would be a good superhero." Reiner half-laughed while he shook his head at that. 

"I'm sure she would. She has the energy for it. When I babysit Gabi for my uncle, I feel like she's going to kill me. Especially when she gets Zofia riled up and they're both little hellions." 

"Aww, come on now. Zofia is a little angel, it can't be that bad. She's seemed pretty docile the times I've been around her." Reiner closed his eyes and leaned his head into the back of his chair. 

"You have no idea. Zofia can be a lot sometimes." Reiner was quiet for a moment, then looked down and stared vacantly at his floor. "Zofia is a sweetheart, but she sometimes gets into moods where she reminds me of how her mother would get when she got upset." 

"Eh? Is that bad?" Reiner hummed, then shook his head. 

"No. I know Zofia will stand up for herself. I think Zofia got the best parts of me and her mom, a lot of our bad traits I just don't see in her." Bertholdt looked at the picture on the end table next to him. It's a picture of Reiner, a blonde woman, and a baby in her arms. Presumably Zofia. 

"Is that her mother in this picture?" Reiner looked at the picture and nodded. 

"Yes, that's Zofia's mother. Her name is Annie." Reiner looked like he was in thought for a moment while he stared at the picture. "Annie got into a bad car accident about three years ago. She's not dead, but she had a traumatic brain injury. She's been in a coma for a little over three years now." 

"I'm sorry, Reiner. It must be really hard." Raising their child alone because she was in a coma? How tragic. Zofia must miss her mom... although going off what Reiner said, she would've been a baby when Annie went into a coma. She probably doesn't remember her mother at all. And that was heartbreaking, truthfully. 

"It's hard being a single parent, yes. I miss Annie very much, because she was a very good friend of mine. She always told everything like it was and didn't sugarcoat anything." Reiner gave Bertholdt an unreadable look and gave him a smile. "I remember she used to be my wingwoman. She and I were always trying to get each other dates and such. We always ran our dates by the other so we'd know if it was a person we were both okay having around our baby." 

“Wait... were you and Annie not dating each other?” 

"Oh, lord no!" Reiner laughed and laughed, and part of Bertholdt felt indignant but part of him felt comforted by the sound of Reiner's laughter. It was oddly comforting. "I thought it was obvious... but I'm gay, Bertholdt. I don't really like women. And Annie was... well, is a lesbian." Bertholdt stuttered and felt his face heating up. "I never tried to cover it up." 

"Really? Then... well, I guess, I just thought with Zofia..." There were a lot of questions buzzing around in his head, but Reiner seemed understanding. 

"Well, I can see how that would confuse you. You'd be surprised what can happen when you and your friend both drink a ton of beer." Reiner looked like he was recalling something while he spoke. "My ex-fiancé cheated on me, and left me for someone else. Annie's girlfriend left her to go be with a man she'd met in college. We were both sad and lonely, and we didn't want to talk to lovebirds like Pieck and Porco. So we ate a lot of pizza and ice cream and got really drunk. Annie got pregnant and nine months later she had my sweet little angel." 

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. I'm sorry that happened to you... I had a boyfriend I loved very much who cheated on me, too." Reiner waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. 

"No need to worry about that. It was a long time ago. I barely thought about him after Zofia was born. Annie and I both had our hands full with our daughter, after all." Reiner's expression changed into a melancholic one, and Bertholdt wanted to ask if he was okay. "We were thinking about getting pregnant again whenever she got into that car accident. We missed having a baby, and we wanted Zofia to have a little sibling. We were both only children and wanted our daughter to be a big sister." 

"That's so tragic. I'm sorry, Reiner." Bertholdt fidgeted with his fingers and thought about Udo. Udo missed out on a mother figure, the same as Zofia. It made his heart hurt for his brother and Reiner's daughter, and it made him think about how he should treasure the time he did get with his mother. 

"It's okay, Bertholdt. Sorry I'm telling you my life story... it's nice to have someone who will listen. You know, it's really hard to meet people when you have a child. Especially since I'm only twenty-five." Reiner saw Bertholdt's drink was empty, then went to get him another. He came back to the living room with another can of soda and handed it over. "But it's okay. One day, maybe someone will come into my life and Zofia will have a stepdaddy. I can only hope. It's hard because I spend all of my time working or with her." 

"I spend all of my time with Udo or working. Whenever I meet up with my friends I always have Udo with me to visit their son too. I'm single, too. I get lonely, too. I thought I would have gotten more time with my father before he passed away. I didn't even have much time to meet anyone before I had to take on the parent role for Udo." 

"He's lucky to have such a caring big brother. Lots of people would've abandoned their sibling if it meant uprooting their lives. I know it's hard right now, you being new to the single parent thing. But I promise it gets easier. It's so hard, but my sweet, perfect little bumblebee makes it worth it." Reiner gave Bertholdt a smirk. "Does your brother have a nickname? Well, maybe not... if you're so much older than him, you probably didn't pick on him all that much." 

"Why do you call Zofia your bumblebee?" Reiner's eyes lit up, and Bertholdt wondered what was going to happen. Reiner got up and went to a room, then came out with his wallet in his hand. Reiner sat down next to Bertholdt and opened up his wallet, revealing several photographs inside. Reiner quickly flipped to a photo of a baby in a bee costume. "Is that Zofia?" 

Reiner nodded happily and ran a thumb along the picture. "Her first Halloween. Zofia was such a fat little baby and she was a chunky little bumblebee. She was so cute, and I've been calling her my bumblebee ever since. She likes it, because it's my special name for her." Reiner flipped through the pictures. All of them were of Zofia, and Bertholdt thought it was the sweetest thing he'd ever seen. 

"I should get one of those inserts for pictures of Udo. I was thinking about it, but I think I'm starting to look at Udo like parents look at children. Maybe it's because I'm so much older." Reiner shrugged his shoulders. 

"Maybe. As long as you love him, I don't think it matters." Reiner glanced at the clock, then back to Bertholdt. "I'll need to wake up the bumblebee from her nap here in a minute so she sleeps good tonight. If you don't want to be stuck coloring, I would go ahead and leave." 

"...No, I don't mind. I can color." Reiner gave Bertholdt a smile, and Bertholdt couldn't help but notice how handsome Reiner looked. 

He was more than happy to sit with Zofia and color with her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I love Reiner and his baby Zofia ;^;  
> (commission by Dori! they did a great job ^^)


	3. Chapter 2.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not part of the main reibert slow burn storyline, but I wanted to write about Zofia and Annie. ^^

Reiner inhaled and took in the smell of the pancakes on the griddle below him. Personally, he liked to eat his pancakes plain, and the plain pancakes sat prepared on his plate that he'd already prepared. He didn't mind if they cooled off a bit while he made Zofia's pancakes, he could just warm them up if they were too cold. He'd mixed in some chocolate chips into the pancake batter to make the cakes for his daughter; he didn't make her chocolate chip pancakes often, but she had been a very good girl lately. And he knew she was going to be missing him a lot whenever the school year started again and he had to go back to work. 

He hadn't actually seen Zofia this morning. Usually she got up early and trotted into the living room with one of her stuffed animals. And she would look so cute with her bed head before he told her to go back to the bathroom and clean herself up. Reiner finished up Zofia's pancakes, but she still hadn't made her way into the kitchen. Oh well, he supposed he could go wake her up. She must've been tuckered out from running around so much last night. She wore him out every single day, that was for damn sure. 

He turned off the griddle and waited for it to cool down, then he made his way down the hallway. Zofia was curled up into her blankets with all of her stuffed animals around her. A smile made its way onto Reiner's face while he made his way over to the side of her bed. He sat on his knees and reached a hand over to run through her hair. "Come on, bumblebee. It's time to wake up." 

Zofia started to turn around in her bed, but when she opened her eyes and looked at Reiner she grunted and closed them again. "No... I'm sleepy, daddy." Reiner shook his head and gently shook his daughter's shoulder to wake her up. Zofia kept groaning, but Reiner didn't want her food to get too cold. Zofia got angry and tossed her blanket off, then frowned at Reiner. 

"There's my grumpy girl. I made you chocolate chip pancakes. Wake up a little bit and come to the dining room, okay?" Zofia nodded and wiped at her eyes. Reiner leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her cheek, then turned and made his way back to the kitchen. He got the butter for his pancakes and put on the syrup, then got the chocolate sauce and whipped cream for Zofia's. 

Was it bad for her? Yes, but he usually fed her healthy food so a treat wouldn't hurt her. Soon enough, Zofia came into the dining room and was still rubbing at her eyes. Reiner put some juice out for both of them and sat down with his food. She sat in front of the pancakes with the whipped cream and wordlessly grabbed her fork and knife. 

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Hey now, you need to cut that into smaller pieces..." Reiner took her fork and knife to cut them up smaller. God forbid she accidentally choke herself. Sometimes moments like this made him feel overbearing, but she was only four. It wasn't like he was cutting up a pre-teen's food. 

"Hmm... thanks, daddy." Zofia ate her pancakes but clearly wasn't in a talkative mood. That was okay, she was just tired. She'd be talking circles around him as soon as she was all the way awake. "Daddy?" 

"Mhmm?" Reiner asked. Of course she would start talking as soon as he had a mouth full of pancake. 

"Can we go see mommy today?" Zofia asked, and Reiner swallowed the food. Reiner couldn't help but cock his head at her question, and he found himself feeling sad. 

"I can take you to see mommy. Is there any reason why?" Zofia seemed to withdraw into herself, and Reiner felt his heart hurt. He sighed and reached a hand over, then gently rubbed a soothing circle into her shoulder. "It's okay. I'll let you stay with mommy however long you want to, okay? Just get cleaned up and we can go, okay?" 

Zofia was usually a neat eater, but breakfast was always a challenge because she was tired. That was definitely Annie coming out in her, because he never had any issues in the mornings and was always up early. Reiner made sure that he was presentable whenever he finished doing the breakfast dishes. Zofia came back from her bedroom in her shorts and a tank top. 

"You look cute, Zofia. Let me know whenever you're ready and we can go to the hospital, okay?" Zofia puttered around the house for a few minutes until she decided she was ready, and she made her way to the car with Reiner. He carefully strapped her into the booster seat in the back of his car, then got into the driver's seat. The route to the hospital was so familiar at this point that Reiner could get there with his eyes closed. 

"Daddy? When can I sit in the front with you?" Reiner glanced back and shook his head. She was still way too small to sit in the front with him. The airbags would injure her badly if he were to get into a car accident, he was sure. And he would take any amount of whining over his baby getting hurt. 

"When you're bigger, dear. You're too small for now. When you grow up and get bigger you can sit with me." Reiner heard her pout, but he paid her no mind. After they got to the parking garage at the hospital, Reiner got Zofia out of the back and took her hand while she walked beside him. 

"Daddy! I want to go to the gift shop! I want to buy mommy a present." Reiner made a face at that, but he made sure that Zofia didn't see it. She's probably want to buy Annie a stuffed bear. But if he'd known that she'd wanted to get Annie a present, he would've taken her to a store where it would be cheaper. But he didn't bring Zofia to the hospital particularly often, and usually Zofia wasn't set on getting her mother a gift, so he supposed it would be okay. He let Zofia drag him into the gift shop while she looked around. 

"You want to get mommy this bear?" Reiner asked, looking down at the bear Zofia handed him. Zofia nodded quickly and went to the checkout counter. Reiner followed behind and got out his wallet. 

"I'm visiting my mommy!" Zofia chirped, the cashier nodding at her while she rang up the bear. Reiner cringed at the price, and the cashier gave him an understanding smile. 

"I'm sure your mommy will love this bear. You must love her a lot." Zofia nodded at the cashier and went with Reiner. He still knew Annie's room number by heart. Any time she'd been moved before, he'd known. Sure enough, Reiner took Zofia to Annie's room and she was on the hospital bed. A nurse was checking on her. 

"Oh, hello Reiner. It's good to see you again." Reiner nodded at the nurse, a woman named Historia, and took a seat on the chair. Another stuffed animal that Zofia had gotten Annie several months ago sat on the other chair. The nurses knew Zofia, and made sure to take care of the bear. Historia took Reiner's arm and pulled him to the side. "She's doing better. She sometimes responds and will move her arms. It doesn't happen much, but sometimes Annie opens her eyes. She doesn't respond meaningfully... but she is responding." 

"Do... you think she might wake up someday?" Reiner felt hope bubble within him. Zofia noticed Reiner had been pulled aside, and a confused look made its way onto her face. "I know there's going to be a very long recovery. Sorry for asking every time I come. But, you know..." 

Historia and Reiner both looked down whenever Zofia walked up to them and clung to Reiner's leg. Historia ran her fingers through Zofia's hair and gave her a warm smile. A very far cry from the stuck-up prep that she'd been in high school. She'd let herself be who she wanted to be whenever she moved away from her parents. 

"Your mommy is still sick, but she's doing better. I promise." Zofia nodded at Historia's words. She gave Reiner a curt nod, then glanced down at her clipboard. "I've just finished moving her so she won't get bedsores. If you need anything please, just hit the call button and I'll be here." At that, Historia turned around and made her leave. Zofia went back to the side of Annie's hospital bed. 

"Mommy!" Zofia knew she couldn't jump up onto the bed and snuggle into Annie's body, so instead she had her father pick her up so she could nuzzle into her mother's shoulder. Zofia was very careful to leave the oxygen tubes hooked up to her nose alone so they didn't come out. After letting Zofia snuggle Annie for a second, Zofia stood by the side and kept her small hands on Annie's arm. "I made a new friend! His name is Udo and we play at the park sometimes." 

Annie didn't respond, but Zofia still eagerly chattered about what was going on in her life. Reiner leaned into the chair and kept an eye on Zofia to make sure she didn't get too excited and accidentally pull out a tube or wire. He almost felt silly for worrying, because Zofia was delicate. Like she always was at the hospital. Even when she got excited about her favorite cartoons or about what she and her new friend did at the park. 

"I got you a present, mommy!" Zofia turned around and gave Reiner an expectant look. She accepted the teddy bear whenever Reiner handed it over, then turned back around. "I got you a bear! You can sleep with it and dream about me." Reiner watched Zofia start to try to move her mother's arm to tuck the bear in. 

"Hey, sweetie, be careful with mommy." Reiner took the bear from his daughter. He saw hurt on his daughter's face, and his heart sank. Reiner very carefully moved Annie's arm, then tucked Zofia's bear in so she was holding it. Much to his surprise, Annie seemed to move her arm and hold the bear closer. "Look, daddy! Mommy likes her bear!" 

"...Yes, bumblebee. Mommy likes the bear, doesn't she?" It was going to be time to leave soon. Zofia had already told Annie about everything going on right now, and he didn't want to keep Zofia cooped up inside the hospital for too long. Reiner picked up Zofia and leaned her forward so Zofia could give her mother a kiss on the cheek. Annie made an odd sound, then her eyes slid open for a moment before they closed again. He knew her body was responding in a meaningless way to the stimulus, but still... 

"Daddy! Mommy opened her eyes!" Zofia clung to Reiner happily while he held her against him. Reiner couldn't bring himself to burst Zofia's bubble, so he let Zofia talk about all the things she wanted to do with her mommy one day when she woke up and recovered. 

Somewhere deep within her, Annie felt a sense of comfort. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading my work, it means a lot ;^;


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to expand more on Bertholdt and Udo's relationship ^^

Summer was winding down to a close, and Bertholdt found himself overwhelmed when it was time to take Udo back-to-school shopping. He had to buy new clothes, because Udo was growing like a weed and the clothes he'd had were getting to be too small. And _how_ did a first grader need so many school supplies? And Udo, of course, was drawn to the more expensive things that had cartoon characters and flames and bold colors instead of the cheaper, plain school supplies. 

His wallet was almost down and out by the time they finished school shopping. Bertholdt had wanted to take Udo out to eat after they'd shopped, but he just couldn't bring himself to spend more money today. What Udo didn't know wouldn't hurt him. They drove back to their house while Udo admired his _Power Rangers_ folder and talked about how he was going to show it off at school. Udo insisted he wanted to be the blue power ranger, and Gabi could be the yellow one. 

Bertholdt couldn't help but laugh at Udo's little puppy-love crush. He got so excited every time Gabi came up. And according to Reiner, Gabi talked about her fried Udo a lot as well. Even if their little childhood crush fizzled out, which it almost certainly would, at least they had a powerful friendship. Bertholdt remembered being close friends with a boy named Marco many years ago, and they remained friends until his untimely death about two years ago. 

"I wanna watch TV!" Udo said loudly whenever he ran into the house. The bags full of school supplies were still hanging off Bertholdt's arms whenever Udo grabbed the remote and turned on the TV; Bertholdt wanted to be annoyed, but reminded himself that Udo was only six; he shouldn't expect his brother to be mature and thoughtful about helping him out with their new purchases. 

"Hey, buddy. Before you watch TV, let's get your stuff ready for school, okay?" Udo turned around and looked at Bertholdt, then nodded. He went and grabbed a bag and took it to the living room, then started going through his own purchases. Before he had a chance to take the rest of the supplies to Udo, Bertholdt turned his head and heard a knock at the door. Odd. He wasn't expecting company. He never expected company. It had better not be those damned vacuum cleaner salespeople again... "Reiner?" 

"Hey, Bertl! I was just going on a walk and decided to stop by and see what you were up to. You busy?" Bertholdt turned around and saw Udo spill his crayons onto the carpet. Perfect. Reiner noticed Bertholdt's eyes close and cocked his head. "Are you okay?" 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Come on in." Bertholdt stepped to the side and let Reiner come into his house, then closed the door. Reiner noticed Udo picking up the crayons and went to sit in the living room. "Where's Zofia?" 

"She's with mom. They sometimes go out and spend time together. Zofia loves spending time with Grandma Karina." Reiner sat down next to Udo and looked over all the school supplies. "Are you excited to go back to school?" Udo looked at Reiner, then went back to putting his crayons back into their box. Once they were back in, Udo grabbed at his pencils and put them into his pencil pouch that his brother bought for him. Pokemon themed, of course. 

"Yeah... but I don't want to wake up early." Reiner laughed to himself and shook his head. Udo knew he was a teacher; he'd seen Mr. Braun walking around in the hallways before. But Mr. Braun was a second-grade teacher, and he was only going into first-grade. "Is Ms. Ral nice? I'm scared." 

"It's okay, Udo. It's scary starting a new school year with a new teacher, and a different class than the one from last year." Bertholdt moved to sit down on the chair while Reiner comforted his brother. Reiner put a hand on Udo's shoulder and squeezed it. "I promise Ms. Ral is really nice. She's one of my favorite teachers at the school." 

"Thanks, Mr. Braun." Reiner laughed and told Udo he only had to call him that at school. Udo smiled and started showing off his new pencil pouches and notebooks and folders to Reiner, and Bertholdt had to admit he was better at pretending to be excited about school supplies. It felt awkward when he had tried at the store to force excitement when all he could see was the too-high price tags for what he was actually getting. 

Reiner had lots of experience with dozens of kids shoving folders that had licensed characters on them into his face, and he was a pro at acting like he was impressed. And having a young daughter at home, watching _Frozen_ and _My Little Pony_ all day every day... how Reiner survived, Bertholdt couldn't be quite sure. After Udo finished getting his school stuff ready and putting it all into his backpack, he turned at gave his brother a pleading look. 

"Can I go play the game? Pleeeeaaaase?" Bertholdt cocked a brow, then glanced at Reiner. He didn't want Udo playing too many video games, but he was going back to school shortly. Bertholdt gave his brother a nod and smiled when Udo jumped up excitedly. "Yes! I'm going to get the third gym badge today! Will you watch me battle the gym leader, Bertholdt?" 

Battles with important characters always meant Udo wanted Bertholdt to watch him play, because he was proud of his team. Bertholdt didn't mind. He remembered the excitement of battling gym leaders when he had his old gameboy in his hands. He could only nod at Udo's question, a genuine smile on his face. 

"Your brother is adorable. It's not often kids want to be the blue power ranger. Usually they want to be the red one." Reiner leaned back into the couch and relaxed. "He's smart. I can tell. I'm glad you're supporting him. I'll head out whenever it's time to go watch the gym battle." 

"That's fine. Are you bored with Zofia gone to see her grandma?" Reiner hummed and shrugged his shoulders, but then nodded. 

"You know, I'm glad I get a break. But by the end of the day I miss her. She'll be home in a couple of hours, so I'll make her some nice food when I leave." Reiner laughed to himself and ran a hand down his face. "Sometimes I hardly remember what I liked to do before I had her. I feel like my entire life revolves around her and my work." 

"I think I'm starting to understand. I loved to write in my free time before I moved back home to take care of Udo, but I haven't written at all since he came back from summer camp. Between working and taking care of him, I just feel exhausted." Reiner hummed and gave Bertholdt a knowing look. Bertholdt couldn't help but feel his cheeks warm at the relaxed look on Reiner's face. 

"Hmm. You're new to the single parent thing. I promise it gets easier. It's always hard, don't get me wrong. But it does get easier." Reiner yawned and glanced down at his cellphone as though to check the time, then put it back. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job. Udo seems like he's doing just fine. Especially considering he lost his father recently." 

"Udo has to sleep in bed with me a lot, actually. He cries and feels lonely. Sometimes I cry with him... He misses our dad and wants to feel safe, I think." Bertholdt picked up Udo's backpack and moved it by the door so it would be out of the way until it was time for school to start. "That's normal, right? I don't remember ever sleeping in bed with mom and dad." 

"That's normal. Zofia gets scared and comes to my room too. I don't mind. She's growing up but she's still only four. And truthfully... I want to enjoy her coming to me for comfort and cuddles now, because I know the day will come when she'll be too grown up for that." Reiner scratched his nose and Bertholdt could see he was deep in thought. "I love watching my baby grow up. But part of me wishes she could stay little forever." 

"You're such a doting dad, Reiner." Bertholdt gave a warm smile to his friend when he sat down. "It's kinda cute." Reiner seemed to blush at the compliment, but didn't say anything else. Reiner only glanced away for a moment and Bertholdt couldn't help but wonder if Reiner had taken his compliment the wrong way. 

"Uh, thanks..." Reiner fidgeted for a moment, then pulled out his cellphone. He opened the photos and pulled up what appeared to be a fairly recent picture of Zofia in what appeared to be some sort of pose as though she were stretching. "How could I not dote over her, though? Look at her!" Reiner started flipping through the pictures on his phone, the majority of which were of Zofia. 

"What's she doing there in a lot of these pictures? Exercising?" Reiner hummed and went back to a picture of Zofia stretching out. 

"Zofia is learning Tai Chi. Her mother loved martial arts. Annie was a professional Muay Thai fighter. But I don't want Zofia to do anything too intense right now. She feels closer to her mom whenever she does her Tai Chi." 

"That's really sweet, Reiner. I'm not really sure what I want to do for Udo, to be honest... I was thinking about seeing if he wants to take lessons in learning another language. He has a little friend named Ramzi who he's been talking about. He said it's really cool that his friend can talk in more than one language." Udo came running into the room almost as soon as Bertholdt finished his sentence. 

"Hey! I'm gonna battle the gym leader now! Come watch me, pleeaase?" Udo glanced to the side and felt his cheeks warm up when he realized he was being rude to Reiner, even though Reiner was smiling at him. "Uh, sorry..." 

"No, no, it's fine. I need to leave to go pick up Zofia soon anyways. She's going to be talking my ear off for the rest of the night about going out with granny." Reiner stood and gave Bertholdt a polite nod. "Thanks for letting me sit here with you for a little while. It's nice having someone close by to talk to." 

"Okay. I'll see you later, then. Say hi to Zofia for me, okay?" Reiner gave a nod, then went out the door. After the door was closed, Bertholdt turned back to his brother and gave him a smile. "So what type gym leader are you battling?" 

"He's a fire-type leader!" Udo grabbed Bertholdt's hand and led him to his bedroom, where his game console was plugged into the TV. Bertholdt sat on the edge of Udo's bed and watched his brother excitedly start the game back up. He could remember running up to their father excitedly with his old gameboy before getting ready to fight a gym leader himself. 

  


"Come on, Udo, you have to get up." Bertholdt said, after coming back into his brother's room. Udo had begged for five more minutes and Bertholdt had obliged, but it was time for him to get up now. If anything, because Bertholdt was afraid giving Udo too many extensions would cause him to fall asleep and they couldn't both be late to school and work. Udo groaned and shot Bertholdt a glare, but then got up and started to rub at his eyes. Bertholdt hadn't set out an outfit for Udo; he'd let his brother dress himself. 

It didn't take long for Udo to come back down, but he was still obviously tired. Udo pouted at the table while Bertholdt cooked his food. "I don't want to go back to school!" Bertholdt put the eggs and toast on Udo's plate, then put it in front of him. Udo had his arms crossed while he stared at the food. "Why do I have to go back?" 

"Because all kids have to go to school. Eat your food and I'll get your book bag together for you." Bertholdt led Udo out to the car as soon as he was done eating. And Udo pouted and had his arms crossed the entire time. Bertholdt gave his brother a sympathetic smile and ruffled his hair. "It's okay, Udo! Your friends will be there. Aren't you excited to see Gabi again? And Ramzi?" 

Udo's expression softened, even if only a little. "Yeah..." Once they made it to the school, Bertholdt took Udo's hand and led him inside. There were a lot of parents there with their children, and Bertholdt felt overwhelmed. 

"Bertholdt?" He turned his head at the sound of his name and saw Reiner standing there, and _oh sweet mother of god_ Bertholdt thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. Reiner was standing there, with a bunch of small children close by. Every time he'd seen Reiner before, he'd been wearing casual clothing and now he was standing there in a smart button-up shirt and khaki pants, and his glasses looked so sharp... Bertholdt always did have a thing for sharp-dressed men. "What are you doing here?" 

"J-just dropping off Udo, you?" Reiner raised a brow at that, then chuckled and shook his head. 

"I work here, Bertholdt. I meant why are you over here with all of the second grade students? Udo's classroom is down the other hallway." Reiner looked down at Udo and gave him a small wave. "Hey there, Udo! Are you excited to be back in school?" Udo seemed to hide behind Bertholdt's leg, but looked at Reiner and shook his head no. Reiner couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Kids didn't usually want to come back. He was just going to miss the summer was all. "Well, just let me know if you need anything, okay buddy?" 

Udo was still seeming to hide behind Bertholdt's pant leg. Bertholdt took notice, and also noticed Udo looking around with an odd expression on his face. "Come on, Udo. Ms. Ral is right down the hallway." Bertholdt walked down the hallway, and dropped Udo off at the classroom. The teacher, a pretty red-headed woman, cheerfully greeted them. Other people were dropping their children off and bidding them farewell. As soon as they had everything put into his cubby, Bertholdt knew it was time to leave. Udo seemed to be clinging more than usual. 

"Don't leave me, Bertholdt. I'm scared." Bertholdt cocked his head and looked at his brother quizzically. 

"What are you afraid of, Udo?" Udo shook his head and clammed up. Bertholdt gently shook his brother's shoulder, to no avail. Bertholdt looked around and found himself unsure of what to do. He didn't want to just leave Udo feeling upset. He'd been very clingy the past couple of weeks. "Are you going to be okay?" 

Udo nodded and turned away. Bertholdt wasn't sure what to do, so he leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to the top of Udo's head. "I'll be back to pick you up after school, okay? Have fun. I love you." 

"I love you too." Udo spoke more softly than usual. Bertholdt swallowed and left his brother, nodding at Ms. Ral on the way out. 

  


Udo stared at his desk. They were learning fun things. Usually he liked math. But he felt so lonely, and he was afraid Bertholdt was going to leave him and not come back after school. He didn't want to be alone. 

His daddy left him and wasn't coming back. Bertholdt told him it was because their daddy was really sick and his body stopped working. Bertholdt had also told him their daddy had a grown-up sickness, and that if he caught the cold that didn't mean he was going to die. But even though he wasn't a grownup, Bertholdt was! Udo's pencil shook in his hand while he tried to write the numbers on his paper. 

"Udo? Are you okay, sweetie?" He glanced up and saw Ms. Ral looking down at him. She cocked her head and looked at him in concern. "Do you want to go get a drink of water?" Udo nodded his head and accepted the hall pass from his teacher, then left the classroom. He made his way to the water fountain he could reach, lower to the ground for younger students. 

After he drank, Udo fidgeted and stared at his hall pass. He felt his lip tremble, and he sniffled. He just wanted Bertholdt to take him home. He didn't want to feel separated and alone like he did now. Udo leaned against the wall and sat down, then pulled his knees to his chest. 

"Udo?" Udo felt embarrassed and wiped at his face so nobody would see him crying. Reiner was standing there, looking down at him. Oh, wait, they were at school so he wasn't allowed to call him Reiner. "Are you okay?" 

"Y-yes, Mr. Braun..." Udo stood and wiped at his eyes, then looked at Mr. Braun. Mr. Braun crossed his arms and looked concerned. 

"Are you sure, Udo? You look sad. Did something happen in class?" Reiner moved to sit on his knees so he was eye-level with Udo. Udo's lip trembled again. He was so afraid Bertholdt was going to leave him like his daddy left him. Sometimes Bertholdt would cry with him whenever he cried about their daddy. Where would he go if Bertholdt went away? Who would take care of him? 

"I... I'm scared!" Udo started crying in the hallway, and Reiner pulled him in for a hug. Udo clung to Mr. Braun and cried. "I-I-I don't want Bertholdt to leave me, Reinerrrr..." 

Reiner didn't mind being called by his first name in this instance. It was a special circumstance. But still, he found himself confused by Udo's fears. Bertholdt loved his brother, why would Udo think Bertholdt would leave him? "Your brother isn't going to leave you, Udo. He loves you." 

"D-Daddy loved me too a-and he's gone! I don't want Bertholdt to leave!" Reiner knew it was improper, but he scooped up Udo and held him against his chest. He had an assistant in the classroom handling the children; he'd swing by and let her know what was going on. 

"You have Ms. Ral, right? I'm going to tell her you're with me and give her the hall pass back." There were some ice cream cups in the cafeteria. He'd get Udo one to help him feel better. "I'm sorry your daddy is gone. But your brother isn't going to leave you, I promise. Would you feel better if you stayed with me in my classroom? I'll get you some books to read, okay?" The school day was mostly over. Udo must've been holding it in for some time. 

Udo clung to Reiner while he carried him to Ms. Ral's class, then to the cafeteria. He accepted the ice cream and spoon when Reiner gave it to him. "Thank you, Mr. Braun..." Reiner smiled and carried Udo to his classroom. It was different than Ms. Ral's, and Udo didn't understand some of the posters on the wall. A couple of students turned and looked at them, but they went back to listening to the story the teaching assistant was telling. 

"Here, let's just relax. Do you want to color?" Udo shook his head, then stared at Reiner. Reiner seemed to understand. "You want me to stay here with you?" 

Udo nodded. Reiner glanced at the clock. They had half an hour until school was over for the day, and it was only the first day of school. They were doing much serious learning. Reiner turned back to Udo and nodded, then sat behind his desk with Udo. Udo relaxed until he saw his brother come through the door. 

"Bertholdt!" He ran over and hugged Bertholdt's leg tightly. "You're back!" 

"Udo! Why aren't you in Ms. Ral's class?" Bertholdt scooped up his brother and looked at him. "Ms. Ral told me to come to Mr. Braun's room. Are you okay?" 

Reiner walked over with his arms crossed. "Hey, Bertl, I'll text you later. I think Udo just needs some time with you right now." Bertholdt nodded and put Udo back down, then took his hand. Udo squeezed his hand in return. 

"Thank you, Reiner. That sounds good to me. Come on, Udo. Let's go home." Udo nodded and walked alongside his brother while Reiner crossed his arms and watched them leave. He smiled and felt warm fuzzies inside. Bertholdt really did love his little brother. 


	5. Chapter 3.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side story about Reiner dealing with the fact that he's going to have a baby. I won't post a side story between every chapter but I wanted to build on Reiner and Zofia a little bit more. ^^

Reiner felt warm. Very, very much so. And dear lord, it was such a nice feeling he could stay this way forever. His blankets were heavy on his body and he wanted to drift right back to sleep. With that in mind, he hugged the soft body he was clinging to closer to himself and breathed in. After a moment Reiner frowned, finding the scent was not familiar to him. At least, not in his _bed._ His eyes slid open, and Reiner saw the blonde hair and sleeping face of the body he was holding onto. 

Maybe he wanted to believe it was his ex-fiancé when he clutched tighter. 

But still, Annie always was cute when she was sleeping. She didn't have the threatening aura about her that Reiner always felt. But at the same time, Reiner felt his stomach twist into a knot due to the sheer awkwardness he felt. Not only was Annie snuggled up to him, but she was very much unclothed. And now that he was waking up, he realized that he was too. 

"Reiner." He must've been lost in his thoughts, because Annie was looking up at him with a red face and eyes that wouldn't quite meet his own. In spite of the awkwardness he felt, Reiner chewed his lower lip and glanced down. 

"Annie." He wasn't sure what else to say, all things considered. Annie was staring at him, and Reiner wanted to disappear into the covers. The previous night was starting to come back to him. They'd been moping and comforting one another following their breakups; him from his fiancé, her from her girlfriend. They drank some beers... then more beer... then more... 

And now they were both naked in his bed. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened last night. When he looked just past Annie, he saw a ripped-open condom wrapper on the nightstand and breathed a sigh of relief. At least their drunk selves had _some_ foresight. Reiner rolled onto his back and reached over for the pack of cigarettes on his nightstand, then took two. Annie was on her back now, but she glanced over and accepted the cigarette that Reiner offered her. 

She didn't smoke much at all. But in that moment, some nicotine was all she wanted. Reiner lit both of their cigarettes while they laid next to one another in bed. Annie took a long drag of her cigarette and enjoyed the smoky flavor before breathing out. "Reiner?" 

"Hmm?" Reiner hummed, him in the middle of taking a drag off his cigarette. He glanced over at Annie after he blew out his smoke. 

"We're never going to talk about this again." Reiner was silent, but nodded. That sounded like a great plan to him. After they got dressed, they wouldn't ever talk about this again. 

  


Having Annie barge into his home (his _bachelor pad_ as he'd sarcastically called it after Jean left him) wasn't something that made Reiner feel at ease. Annie was the calm and collected type. That being said, she was also headstrong and seemed determined to shove him through his doorway. "Annie?" 

"Reiner." She didn't seem pissed now that Reiner looked down and got a better look at her. Annie was clutching a small plastic grocery bag in her free hand while she dragged him inside and put him on his sofa. "We have to talk." Reiner swallowed and nodded. In the back of his mind, he wanted the juice he'd left on the counter when he'd heard knocking at his door. 

"About what?" Annie tossed the grocery bag onto Reiner's lap and then stood with her arms crossed. Reiner glanced down at the bag and opened it, then pulled out something. He frowned and looked at it. "What's this?" 

...A pregnancy test? With two lines? Reiner frowned, then instantly felt panic. He reached down into the bag and grabbed a different one, with a plus mark on it. Then another test, which again displayed two lines. There was even one inside that spelled the word out for him. He looked inside. There were at least six more tests inside, and he knew that they all must say the same thing. 

"A-Annie...?" Reiner didn't know what to say, but he felt cold and clammy all of a sudden. He breathed in deeply and shook his head. 

"I took ten different tests from five different brands, Reiner." Annie's voice wasn't even, and he knew she was panicking too. Reiner wasn't sure what to do, so he stood and approached Annie, then put his arms around her in spite of his racing thoughts. She didn't protest, and easily followed when Reiner sat her down. "I thought you said you used a condom!" 

Reiner felt defensive and pulled away, then looked down at Annie's stomach. She seemed to notice but said nothing. "There was an empty condom wrapper tossed in the trash, and I haven't gotten laid since Jean left me! Why else would it be in my trash?" Reiner ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. There was no use in arguing about drunken sex. That would change nothing. "What are we going to do?" 

Annie's shoulders dropped and she shook her head. "I don't know. I can't fight like this, Reiner. I was supposed to be competing for the regional Muay Thai championship soon..." Her lip trembled, but she steeled herself and shook her head. Reiner saw the hurt in her body language and held her close. "You aren't even out of college yet. What's going to happen?" 

"I... you're less than two months in, right? I'll be graduated by the time you have it. I can work. Plus we have my mom, and your dad." He felt like he was grasping at straws. More to make himself feel better than her, selfish as it was. Annie was quiet. "It's going to be okay." 

"I don't know what to do anymore, Reiner. I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me." He sighed and ran a hand up and down her backside. 

He didn't think that about himself, either. 

  


Reiner sighed and wiped the sweat off of his brow. Annie was sitting on the chair he'd put in the room, and watched him while she rested. "There. Now that that's done, I need a break." Annie cocked an eyebrow at him while Reiner closed his eyes and laid back onto the floor. The crib that her father had given her money for was put together, and now they were almost done with having the nursery put together. 

They'd been fortunate that their loved ones were there for them. Reiner's mother had been absolutely over the moon and showered him in wet kisses to his cheeks and excitedly started asking if they'd been thinking about names. Reiner still got frustrated with how often his mom texted him checking in on Annie's condition. Her father had been more subdued. He'd been upset that Annie had put so much time into training for the tournament and could no longer compete. 

Annie had ordered Reiner to leave, then next time he saw Annie's dad he seemed perfectly okay with the baby. What she had said, he couldn't be sure. But her father was helping them out, and generously provided money for the crib and other essentials. It made everything easier, at the very least. And his mother was certainly showering them in baby clothes to boot. Everything they could need lined the walls of the small room, which took a lot of stress off of them. 

She was over halfway through the pregnancy, but they decided they were going to wait and get everything gender-neutral, much to Reiner's mother's distress. Truthfully... she hated it. Hated watching the people she competed against winning competitions because she wasn't there handing their asses to them. She didn't hate the baby she carried, but she certainly wasn't as excited about it as Reiner was. 

Once he came around, he was overjoyed. 

Maybe he had enough happiness for both of them. 

"Reiner. Rub my shoulders for me." Annie asked whenever he opened his eyes and started to get back up. She stayed sitting down and rested her hands on her stomach. Not particularly big, but it stuck out against her small frame. Reiner hummed and stood up, then walked over and did as asked. Annie had been hurting a lot lately, and she was so exhausted. 

"I can't stop thinking about meeting the little one." Reiner said, only getting a hum back from Annie. He wasn't oblivious. He knew she wasn't excited. Yes, she had expressed love. But she wasn't happy. That being said, she did enjoy Reiner being affectionate. She'd said she was glad their baby was so loved. "How're they feeling right now?" 

"I don't know. They're not really moving around. I think they're asleep." Annie said. Reiner hummed happily. After he was done massaging Annie's shoulders and feet, he sat on his knees and hugged her midsection. He rested his cheek against her and relaxed while he nuzzled at Annie's tummy. Though silent for a moment, Annie reached a hand down and gently ran it through Reiner's hair. 

  


Reiner wasn't a crier. At least, not usually. He felt tears prickle and he cried silently when his childhood dog Warrior passed away. When he moved out of his childhood home and into the dorms, he didn't cry. He didn't cry tears of joy when his mother bought him a house to live in so he didn't have to live in an apartment, despite the excitement and joy he'd felt. 

That made it a little odd for Annie when they went to the appointment for the keepsake ultrasound. Reiner's mother, though sweet, was overbearing and wanted another ultrasound with her "sweet, beautiful, darling grandbaby's fat little cheeks" as she'd so eloquently put it. Reiner was ready to step in and tell his mom to lay off, until her father seconded that and wanted one too. 

She had trouble saying no to her father. Now she and Reiner were sitting there and Reiner was crying at the picture of the baby because he saw the face and now he was turning into the softie he usually kept hidden. It was... sweet. She didn't feel like crying when she saw her baby, even though she'd warmed up to it a great deal and was excited for the arrival. 

"Look, Annie, they're so beautiful and perfect." The ultrasound technician gave Reiner a tissue for him to wipe at his eyes while he admired the image. He'd been unable to attend the last ultrasound she'd had done, weeks ago now, because of an exam in one of his classes. Reiner had been moping about it but snatched the ultrasound away the second he had the chance. 

"She's absolutely adorable, isn't she?" The ultrasound technician seemed to realize her mistake in an instant, her face becoming apologetic and her demeanor nervous while she shrunk away. Reiner and Annie both paused and stared at the technician, but the silence was broken by a sniffle. 

"She? I'm having a daughter?" Reiner sniffled and looked back at the ultrasound, then cried again. "Oh, Zofia! My sweet little Zofia! I just love her so much, oh god, can you believe it Annie? Look at her little cheeks..." Annie shot a glare at the ultrasound technician that made her look like she was truly in fear for her life. Reiner paid them no mind and kept rambling. 

"See what you've done? I get to listen to this on repeat now. Thanks." The technician breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed softly to herself at Reiner's crying form. He was talking to nobody about how cute Zofia was and how she had Annie's nose and him wondering whose eyes she would have. Annie ran a hand through her hair, and she knew it would never stop. The minute Zofia was born, Reiner would be rambling about her for the rest of his life. 

Perfect. 

  


Annie was absolutely a trooper, Reiner had to give her that. She was the strongest woman he'd ever met. It all happened so fast, it was surreal. They'd been on the couch at his home, where she'd been living in the guest room. He was snuggling her tummy while some dumb movie was playing, then she looked at him and said she was cramping and thought she might be going into labor. 

The labor was so quick she hadn't had time to get an epidural, so Annie had to do it without medicine. And watching her scream and bark threats that he _knew_ she could actually follow through with made him feel terrible. But in spite of it all, Reiner found himself starry-eyed at the bald little baby Annie had latched to her breast. He hadn't been able to look away since he'd seen his daughter be born. 

How did such a beautiful girl come from him? Reiner couldn't know the answer for sure. But despite that, he snuggled Zofia close and kissed her gently. After some quiet time for Annie to recover, their parents had come and hogged the baby. His mother cried and went on and on and on about how she was finally a grandma. Annie's father was quieter than Karina, but Zofia didn't mind. 

Now he was all alone with Annie and Zofia. Annie was asleep; she'd had a rough, painful delivery and was absolutely exhausted. Reiner quietly went to pick up Zofia, her making tiny cooing noises while he carried her to the chair he'd been sitting in. He cradled her carefully, then ran a finger along her fat cheek. Zofia looked up at him with cute blue eyes; would they stay blue like her mommy, or turn brownish-amber like his? It didn't matter, because Zofia was going to be the most beautiful girl ever born regardless. 

"My Zofia. You're so adorable, you know that?" His words were very quiet. He didn't want to wake Annie. Zofia yawned and closed her eyes back while Reiner rocked her back and forth. She seemed to recognize his voice and turned her head inward towards him. "I don't think I've ever loved anyone as much as I love you, my angel." 

While Annie had been pregnant, his mother made a comment to him one day that the day he was born had been the best day of her life. Reiner was sure he understood that now. Zofia had a simple white cap made by her grandmother on, with her name embroidered onto it. 

Before he knew it, Reiner felt his lip trembling while he swayed his body back and forth carefully. He sniffled, then brought his baby up and kissed her again, then hugged her close. Zofia was sound asleep against him. When he looked down at her sweet little face again, Reiner finally felt the tears dripping out while he held her close. She was his little baby, and he'd do everything in his power to be a good daddy for her. 

"I love you, Zofia. With all my heart." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just was thinking about how bumblebee Reiner would feel about having a baby. I feel like he'd come around very quickly and be enamored.


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

"Udo? What are you doing?" Bertholdt asked when he went into the living room and saw Udo with the family photo albums on the floor. Udo had a sad look on his face, and Bertholdt's mouth set into a hard line. His expression softened when he approached his brother and squatted next to him. "Are you okay?" 

"Bertholdt?" Udo's voice was small, and Bertholdt gave a gentle hum so his brother would talk to him. "Did mommy love me?" Bertholdt sighed, then put his hands on the floor so he could sit cross-legged next to Udo. He put an arm around his brother, then leaned his head over and rested his head on top of him. 

"Of course mommy loved you. What makes you think she didn't?" Udo was quiet while he fidgeted with his fingers. Bertholdt stood and scooped Udo up, then set him down onto the couch. He picked up the photo albums and set them down on the coffee table into a neat pile. "Mommy loved you a lot, Udo." 

"Then why did she die?" Udo breathed in deeply, then shuddered. Bertholdt let his brother rest his head against his chest. "Was it because she didn't want to be around me?" 

"No, no no no, Udo, please don't think that..." Bertholdt looked carefully at the photo album, and found the one dedicated to their mother. Their father had put it together after she died as a way to cope with his grief while he wasn't taking care of baby Udo. He opened it up towards the end, to his mother's second pregnancy. "Mama died because her body stopped working... it was sad, but she loved you. I promise. See? Look how happy she looks. This is when you were still in mama's tummy." 

"That's me?" There were several pictures of their mother. In lots of them, Bertholdt was sitting with her with an arm around her shoulder. In another, Bertholdt was rubbing his hands on his mom's stomach. He wasn't sure, but he was probably feeling Udo in them. "That's you!" 

"Uh-huh. I've always loved playing with you, even before you were born. Daddy, too. See?" Udo smiled at the pictures of their parents smiling and cooing over their mother's belly. Bertholdt remembered the way his mother and father bickered about what to name their new baby son. His mother wanted to name the baby Udo, but their father wanted to name him Joseph. 

After their mom died, their father decided to name the baby what his wife would've wanted. Bertholdt had been heartbroken that he'd lost his mother, but his new baby brother still deserved all the love in the world. He could remember sitting in the hospital with tears running down his face. But he still laughed softly to himself whenever Udo yawned and then opened his little eyes to look up at him. 

"What was mommy like, Bertholdt?" Bertholdt sighed and leaned back into the chair. He knew Udo would be asking about her one day. It was only natural. Hell, when they were older Udo would probably start asking more about their dad, too. 

"Mama was really nice, and she loved to laugh. Daddy liked playing little jokes on her. She liked reading, and she loved to garden." Bertholdt paused for a moment. Her garden at their old home had been beautiful. After their father moved to the new house that Udo grew up in, he wasn't able to garden at all. Bertholdt missed all the blooms. "Her favorite flowers were white roses. They were supposed to mean everlasting love." 

"What does that mean?" Udo asked. He looked up at Bertholdt and got a gentle laugh, which earned a small smile. 

"It means love, forever and ever. She said she'd love daddy forever and ever. And she said that about me." Bertholdt brought a finger up, then poked his brother's nose. "And when she was pregnant, she said that about you. She'll love you forever and ever. Even if she isn't here, and you can't see her or feel her." 

"So mommy loves me, even right now?" Bertholdt nodded and let his brother cling to him. He flipped to the last page of the photo album and smiled. 

"This is one of my favorite pictures. The whole family." Bertholdt loved that picture. He was sitting between his parents, with an arm around each of them. His mother was due any day, so her stomach was huge. "There's me... and daddy, and mama, and there you are in mama's tummy. See? We've always loved you. I don't ever want you feeling left out, okay? Mama and daddy loved you, and I do too." Udo nodded while Bertholdt closed the book. He put it back on the table, then scooted and set Udo next to him. 

"I love you too, Bertholdt." Bertholdt ruffled the top of Udo's hair, then got up. He turned on his heel to go to the kitchen. "Can we have chicken strips?" 

Bertholdt closed his eyes. He'd wanted to make a nice pasta dinner tonight. But Udo was having a hard time. He supposed he could forgo the dinner he wanted. Udo deserved to have what he wanted every now and again. 

"Of course." 

  


"I think Udo is doing better. He isn't clinging to me as much as he was before. His separation anxiety is getting a little bit better. I'm glad I got him into therapy." Reiner hummed and nodded at Bertholdt's words. It was into the fall now, and the leaves were starting to change colors. Udo and Zofia was running around in the park playing together, and Reiner and Bertholdt were sitting on a bench watching them. They were running around playing the the piles of leaves on the ground. 

"I'm glad. I was really worried about him the first couple of weeks at school, but I can tell he's doing better. He's always happy whenever I ask him how he's doing." Reiner laughed to himself and remembered how Udo was showing off his _Power Rangers_ folder to him the other day. Udo tended to go to Reiner's classroom to wait for Bertholdt to come pick him up. "You're doing a good job. I'm proud of you." 

Bertholdt stuttered and started to blush when he glanced over at Reiner. Reiner noticed him looking and cocked a brow. "P-proud?" 

"Sure. I am. Lots of big siblings wouldn't take care of Udo the way you do. I've seen some parents that are less than great. But you're really stepping up for him. I'm happy for Udo. He's a special little guy and he's got a good big brother." Reiner heard Zofia running towards him and turned his head to the side. Bertholdt couldn't help but feel flustered while he processed Reiner's words of encouragement. 

"Daddy! I want some fruit snacks! Pleeeeaaaaase?" Zofia put her tiny hands on Reiner's arm and gave him a pleading look. And before he knew it, Udo was clinging to Reiner's arm. 

"Reiner! Can I have some fruit snacks too? Pleeeeeaaaaaase?" Reiner laughed and reached for the backpack he brought, then pulled out some fruit snacks. Udo and Zofia took the snacks and ran away back to the pile of leaves they decided belonged to them. The two of them were gathering leaves from all around the park to make a huge pile. 

"Sorry, Reiner... I'll pay you back for those." Reiner waved a hand dismissively and shook his head. Bertholdt shrugged. Well, that made sense. Reiner was so generous with children. And he'd certainly taken a liking to Udo, for which Bertholdt was glad. 

"It's okay. I wanted to." Reiner leaned back, and Bertholdt noticed for the first time that day how handsome Reiner looked. The way his turtleneck clung to his built body, the glasses he was wearing, the affection he radiated when he watched his daughter running around. He looked like a model, except Reiner was actually sitting there next to him. "Thanks for coming out with me, Bertholdt." 

"You don't need to thank me. I wanted to." Reiner smiled and closed his eyes. Udo and Zofia were running around, and Bertholdt watched Udo fall into the pile of leaves. Zofia immediately started burying him, but Bertholdt didn't feel the need to go save his brother. Udo would be fine. 

"You know, I've been feeling pretty good lately. I'll admit, it's nice having a friend in the neighborhood. Pieck and Porco are great, but they live across town so I don't get to see them as much as I'd like." Reiner stretched out his arms and then lazily opened his eyes. There was no way Reiner couldn't see the blush on his face, Bertholdt could feel his skin heating up. "Thanks for being my friend, Bertholdt. I'm glad you moved to the neighborhood. Zofia likes you and Udo, too." 

"I-I'm glad... Udo has been happy, too. You're a good role model for him. I'm glad I met you..." Bertholdt paused, then laughed to himself and thought back to their meeting. "I just wish it had been under better circumstances." Reiner laughed and shook his head. The way the sun shined in his hair made Bertholdt's stomach do a backflip. 

"It's okay, Bertholdt. Zofia doesn't even remember that. You're too gentle to even hurt a fly." Bertholdt wasn't sure if Reiner would believe him if he told him how gleefully he'd killed the wasps when Udo found the wasp nest. One of the bastards stung his baby brother, so Bertholdt went scorched earth and destroyed the bastards with a smile on his face. 

Soon, it was time for the two of them to collect the children and part ways. They'd come to the park together in Reiner's car. Luckily for the two of them, the kids were mostly tuckered out because they'd been playing so much. Udo and Zofia both had dead leaves and dirt on them, but they'd be cleaned up as soon as they were home. Reiner stopped at a drive-thru and got them kid's meals because he didn't feel like cooking dinner, and Bertholdt didn't either. 

They both got the same toy, and Reiner was relieved because he wasn't in the mood to listen to his daughter whining about it. 

"Thanks for going out with me today, Bertholdt. And you too, Udo. I had lots of fun." Reiner looked back at Udo in the backseat and gave him a smile. 

"Me too. Bye, Reiner! Bye, Zofia!" Udo waved at them both when he was out of the car, but only Reiner waved back. Zofia was tired. She'd probably whine when Reiner bathed her, but Bertholdt shrugged. Thankfully, that was Reiner's problem and not his. Udo loved taking baths and went to draw his own without being told. 

Bertholdt only got upset when he went to the bathroom and saw that Udo poured the whole bottle of bubble bath into the tub and that the whole bathroom was covered in bubbles. 

  


It was when he saw Reiner shirtless one day that Bertholdt started to panic. Dear sweet mother of god, Bertholdt was sure he was looking at a sentient statue. A chiseled, Greek god brought to life. He'd gone over to Reiner's house to ask if he could borrow some construction paper for a homework assignment, and Reiner opened the door shirtless. 

He'd apologized and said that Zofia accidentally got her finger paint on his shirt. He'd taken it off but hadn't had the chance to put another on before there was a knock on the door. Zofia had run up beside her father covered in finger paint. She chirped happily but Reiner looked exhausted. As soon as Bertholdt told him why he was there, Zofia ran to grab the construction paper and came back with more than enough. 

His cheeks had to have been aflame the whole walk home. Reiner had just looked so... hot! 

Focusing on Udo's dumb little school project was hard when his thoughts were consumed with that delicious torso. He was well past the days of having a gay panic; he'd accepted his sexuality years ago. He was having a "gay for my best friend" panic, and he didn't know what to do! He was getting used to being the one who had all the answers! Not that that was a difficult task given the other person living with him was six. But still! Bertholdt swallowed and tried to focus on Udo cutting shapes out of the construction paper. 

The next time he went out with Reiner, he wasn't sure if Reiner's pants were tight or if he'd always had a nice, prominent ass that he just hadn't noticed before. A nice ass, to compliment that handsome face, nice pecs, firm biceps... 

When the passing thought of Reiner sitting on his face came, Bertholdt nearly panicked. Reiner hadn't noticed, because Udo and Zofia were both begging him for snacks while he insisted they'd eaten more than enough. _Then_ the sexy thoughts came, and Bertholdt wasn't sure he'd jacked off so much in the shower since he was a teenager. 

His new gay panic was terrible! Reiner was his best friend! Udo absolutely loved him! He couldn't ruin the best relationship he'd had in years! He hadn't felt so connected with another person in a long time. Besides his family, but they didn't count. 

In truth, he was feeling more connected with Reiner than he did with his ex-boyfriend. Another panic for him to have in the shower while Udo snoozed in his bed. Bertholdt found himself pacing back and forth, and every time he hung out with Reiner he felt like he was going to explode. 

If there was any tension- any at all- Reiner certainly wasn't saying anything about it. Maybe it was all in his head? He'd hoped so, until Udo had to burst his bubble one day. 

"Are you mad at Reiner?" Udo asked innocently one afternoon. Bertholdt was surprised and looked down at his brother, who had his head cocked innocently. Bertholdt shook his head in denial. 

"No! No. Why would you think I was mad at him?" Udo shrugged his shoulders and put his trash in the bin. Udo went to sit back down in the living room, then grabbed the remote and turned on _Power Rangers_. Bertholdt followed his brother and sat down on the sofa. He had to wait a few minutes for a commercial, because he knew Udo wasn't going to pay attention to him while he was watching his favorite show. "Why do you think I'm mad at Reiner?" 

"I dunno. You've been talking funny to him. Your face turns red." Bertholdt scratched behind his head, then Udo turned to look seriously at his brother. "Don't you ever notice that people's faces turn red in cartoons when they get mad?" Bertholdt laughed at the ridiculousness of what his brother was saying, then sighed in relief. "What's so funny?" Udo was frowning, but Bertholdt reached his hand out and lightly rubbed his hand on his brother's shoulder. 

"Nothing. I just love you." Udo's attention was drawn away quickly enough whenever the commercials were over. He happily went back to watching his favorite show. Bertholdt couldn't help but wonder, was he behaving differently? Did Reiner notice a change in behavior? 

He'd always been an anxious person. He was so nervous. But at the same time, he just wanted to see Reiner again. 

Boiling some spaghetti would calm his nerves. Bertholdt put the pot of water on the stove and crossed his arms while his mind wandered to his handsome friend. 

  


It was starting to get cold, and every day the sun went down sooner. Truth be told, Bertholdt never minded the winter. It reminded him of fun nights in with his parents while they drank hot chocolate. He'd curl up with his mama in a warm blanket and they would all watch movies together while the snow fell outside. 

Udo was having a sleepover at his friend Marcel's house. Well, it was actually his friend Pieck's house, but she had a son and wanted little Marcel to have a playmate over. Udo was happy to go stay the night with his friend. So Bertholdt was alone at his house tonight. Sometimes he'd use the whole night to enjoy soaks in the bathtub and binge watch shows that Udo had no business watching, but it was still early. 

Bertholdt fidgeted with his fingers, then stood up. Maybe he could go see Reiner and Zofia? Funny how things work. He was so eager to get Udo gone so he could have a night to himself, then he finds himself feeling lonely and going to a house with a child. Part of him felt guilty, but he knew that Udo was having fun with his friend. And Pieck and Porco cared about Udo, so he was in good hands. 

The walk was quick, but cold. The sun was hanging low in the sky, even though it was only 4:00 in the afternoon. He knocked on Reiner's door, then heard the familiar heavy footsteps. Reiner opened the door and gave Bertholdt a warm smile. "Hey, Bertholdt. Come on in, it's cold out there." Reiner stepped aside, and Bertholdt took notice of how much cleaner the house was compared to its usual state. 

"That's fine, but Zofia isn't here right now. She's staying over at her grandpa's house for the weekend. He loves spending time with the bumblebee." Reiner's cheeks turned red while he closed his eyes and thought about his girl. "Zofia likes seeing her grandma more because mom spoils her. Her grandpa doesn't buy her everything in the world. But he loves her all the same. She'll understand that one day." 

"Grandpa? As in her mom's dad?" Reiner didn't talk much about Zofia's maternal family. He didn't talk much about Zofia's mother, aside from passing comments. Apparently she'd bee responding to stimuli more and the doctors were becoming optimistic about her waking up soon. Reiner didn't tell his daughter, because he didn't want her to get her hopes up. 

"Yeah. Annie's dad. For a long time, he didn't want to see Zofia. He was so broken up about his daughter being in a coma, and having Zofia around upset him. He came around, though. So sometimes he takes her for the weekend and they spend time together." Reiner scratched his nose while he thought. "He trained Annie in Muay Thai. She was a professional. Someday, I'm sure he'll want to teach Zofia too. But that's too rough for her right now." 

"Ah. Well, I'm glad she's getting to see her family." Reiner turned the TV down. From what Bertholdt could tell, he was watching some documentary about geological formations. Reiner got comfortable and glanced at Bertholdt. 

"Yeah. She always says she doesn't want to go see her grandpa because he's boring but then when I go get her she doesn't want to leave him. Last time she started crying and hugged his leg when it was time to go." Bertholdt laughed at the mental image. Zofia wailing because she didn't want to leave. She really had a heart full of love. "I do miss her, though. I know I've said it before but I'm always ready for a break and then I miss her. I get lonely sometimes." 

"I get it. Udo is staying the weekend with Pieck and her son." Reiner cocked his head and raised his brows in surprise. 

"Is that why Pieck and Porco said they were busy and couldn't hang out with me this weekend?" Bertholdt processed Reiner's words, then laughed to himself. "I was wondering. Usually they're more than willing. With or without little Marcel, depending on if Zofia is with me." 

"O-oh, sorry... I didn't mean to interfere with your weekend, Reiner." 

"Don't be sorry, Bertholdt. You're not interfering. I'm glad you decided to come over. I was getting a little bit lonely, if I'm being quite honest. Thanks for coming over." Reiner glanced at the TV, then back to Bertholdt. "Say, do you want to go see a movie or do something? I know it's dark outside, but it isn't really late. We could probably catch the next showing of whatever good is playing." 

"That sounds like fun! Anything playing that sounds fun?" The two of them started checking online to see what was playing, then opted for a horror movie that was playing. Not that either of them went to the movies much anyways, but when they did go usually it was to see whatever cartoon caught their children's eyes. 

They took Reiner's car, because Bertholdt had walked to his house and they didn't want to walk in the cold just to get a different car. Reiner was more than eager to buy snacks, and got them a large popcorn to share. Bertholdt first blushed at Reiner's generosity, but that was nothing compared to the butterflies he felt when Reiner jumped and started clinging to him in the theater. 

It wasn't a one-off, either. Every time the evil demon-ghost-thing showed up on the screen and the music suddenly played Reiner would jump and start clinging to Bertholdt's arm. He quietly apologized the first time, but Bertholdt reassured him it was okay. Towards the end of the movie, Bertholdt was quite liking the scary scenes because it meant Reiner hugging his arm. 

He almost felt bad thinking Reiner being scared was adorable. Bertholdt felt a vague sense of disappointment when the evil thing was killed, because it dying meant that Reiner wouldn't be clutching at his arm for security anymore. Bertholdt got up and let Reiner go toss the empty bucket of popcorn and their drinks, then the two of them walked side-by-side back out to Reiner's car. 

"Sorry for grabbing onto you so much. I'm so used to Zofia doing it to me that I think I'm picking up her little habit." Bertholdt only laughed and reassured Reiner that it was okay. They discussed the plot of the movie on the way back home. Truthfully, it could've been executed much better and they both agreed that the movie relied too heavily on jumpscares that Reiner easily fell victim to. 

They pulled back into Reiner's house, and he invited Bertholdt back inside. They mindlessly watched some TV together when they learned of their shared interest in nature documentaries. Reiner remarked that it was nice to watch things with someone other than cartoons, and Bertholdt really, truly sympathized with that. 

The only "not cartoon" he watched these days were episodes of _Power Rangers_ and he'd hardly count that. 

"Oh, it's getting late. I need to go back home so I can take a bath and get ready for bed." Bertholdt lamented when he glanced at the clock on Reiner's wall. Reiner seemed vaguely disappointed, but his expression was understanding. "Let me grab my coat and put my shoes on." 

Reiner followed him to the front door, and Bertholdt stepped outside. Good thing he only lived a few houses down, because it was cold outside. "Bertholdt?" 

Bertholdt turned around and looked at Reiner. He was fidgeting with his fingers, and looking at the ground. It was cute, and he felt his face warming up. "Reiner?" 

"Uh, well... I was wondering, could I ask you something?" Bertholdt hummed and noticed the pink dusting on Reiner's cheeks. "Uhm. It's okay to say no. You can just pretend I never said anything... but, well. Do you, do you maybe want to go on a date? Maybe next week? I can have Zofia stay with my mom..." 

"A date?" Bertholdt cocked his head and in an instant he was sure his face was on fire. Reiner's brows were furrowed while he stared at the ground nervously. It was... almost cute, seeing Reiner looking so nervous. Inside, Bertholdt was sure he was going to implode. "Y-yeah, I'd like that." 

"Really?" Reiner's answer seemed like he wasn't expecting Bertholdt to agree to a date. He seemed relieved, then laughed a breathy laugh that suggested he'd been holding his breath. It was cute. Bertholdt scratched behind his ear, then met Reiner's eye. "Well, I guess I'll text you later. It's cold out, go home and have a nice bath. I'll talk to you later, okay?" 

Bertholdt nodded and bid Reiner farewell, then walked back to his house. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Bertholdt sat on the couch and stuffed his face into a pillow. 

Reiner! Wanted to go on a date! With! Him! He felt like he could be shivering, he was so excited. He'd been having a gay panic for who knows how long, and then Reiner asks him out? 

He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. His arm kinda hurt when he did that, so he was probably actually awake. Bertholdt made his way to the master bathroom and started a hot bath for himself, then tossed in his bath bomb. 

What should he wear? Would it be okay? Should he buy some breath mints? He had a whole week to think about things. 

Ah... he was supposed to relax while he took baths. Bertholdt tried clearing his mind, and let his thoughts settle on his brother instead. 

All was good in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Zofia's mom isn't dead... I feel like the fic implies that but she isn't ^^;


End file.
